Hussaini seamlessly blends compelling characters, thought-provoking situations, an impeccable discourse on Islamic history...
Manuscript-examiner Edward Fleming’s search for his missing colleague leads to Saudi Arabia—and the unveiling of deadly secrets that threaten the entire foundation of Islam—in Hussaini’s action-packed historical thriller.
When Kimberly, an American researcher, takes her interest in Fatima, the oppressed daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, to Dr. Fayazi, she sets in motion a chain of events that range from the murder of a prominent builder, Abdul Zahra, to a worldwide Internet virus claiming to reveal the truth of the Musehaf Fatima, or Book of Fatima. From the beginning, Hussaini’s novel, in the spirit of Dan Brown, thrusts readers into a powerful murder scene. Weaving intriguing dialogue with crisp storytelling and an electric plot, Hussaini ensures that the adrenaline flow never stops. In addition to an exotic setting, the dynamic, entertaining cast of characters will keep the pages turning. Every character adds an intriguing element to the story, whether it’s Princess Safiya driving everyone around in her Bentley and Hummer, Zain’s mysterious behavior when speaking of the Musehaf Fatima, Dr. Fayazi’s fanaticism for the Musehaf, Vane’s calm demeanor and killer mentality or the partial amnesia that erases parts of Edward’s life. More importantly, the author does an exceptional job of accurately providing historical insight into a religion and a way of life that many are oblivious to and label as controversial. As each clue is unveiled in the desert landscape, readers learn about the warrior Emam Ali, the injustice done unto Fatima, the noble life of the Prophet Mohammed and perhaps the golden nuggets of wisdom that are buried within the Musehaf Fatima. The fact that the entire ordeal spans only 24 hours is a bit difficult to digest, especially because Edward and company travel from Mecca to Medina and to a host of holy Islamic sites; however, this is hardly a flaw as it only adds to the heart-wrenching pace and excitement for the reader. There are those that will kill to keep the Musehaf Fatima hidden; there are others who will die to reveal the truth of Fatima.
Hussaini seamlessly blends compelling characters, thought-provoking situations, an impeccable discourse on Islamic history and a unique style and language to deliver an unparalleled historical thriller that will have readers anticipating his next novel, Echos of Fatima.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2011
ISBN: 978-0983902324
Page Count: 356
Publisher: Barbed Wires
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles...
Sisters in and out of love.
Meghann Dontess is a high-powered matrimonial lawyer in Seattle who prefers sex with strangers to emotional intimacy: a strategy bound to backfire sooner or later, warns her tough-talking shrink. It’s advice Meghann decides to ignore, along with the memories of her difficult childhood, neglectful mother, and younger sister. Though she managed to reunite Claire with Sam Cavenaugh (her father but not Meghann’s) when her mother abandoned both girls long ago, Meghann still feels guilty that her sister’s life doesn’t measure up, at least on her terms. Never married, Claire ekes out a living running a country campground with her dad and is raising her six-year-old daughter on her own. When she falls in love for the first time with an up-and-coming country musician, Meghann is appalled: Bobby Austin is a three-time loser at marriage—how on earth can Claire be so blind? Bobby’s blunt explanation doesn’t exactly satisfy the concerned big sister, who busies herself planning Claire’s dream wedding anyway. And, to relieve the stress, she beds various guys she picks up in bars, including Dr. Joe Wyatt, a neurosurgeon turned homeless drifter after the demise of his beloved wife Diane (whom he euthanized). When Claire’s awful headache turns out to be a kind of brain tumor known among neurologists as a “terminator,” Joe rallies. Turns out that Claire had befriended his wife on her deathbed, and now in turn he must try to save her. Is it too late? Will Meghann find true love at last?
Briskly written soap with down-to-earth types, mostly without the lachrymose contrivances of Hannah’s previous titles (Distant Shores, 2002, etc.). Kudos for skipping the snifflefest this time around.Pub Date: May 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-345-45073-6
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2003
Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls.
Coelho is a Brazilian writer with four books to his credit. Following Diary of a Magus (1992—not reviewed) came this book, published in Brazil in 1988: it's an interdenominational, transcendental, inspirational fable—in other words, a bag of wind.
The story is about a youth empowered to follow his dream. Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who learns through a dream of a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. An old man, the king of Salem, the first of various spiritual guides, tells the boy that he has discovered his destiny: "to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation." So Santiago sells his sheep, sails to Tangier, is tricked out of his money, regains it through hard work, crosses the desert with a caravan, stops at an oasis long enough to fall in love, escapes from warring tribesmen by performing a miracle, reaches the pyramids, and eventually gets both the gold and the girl. Along the way he meets an Englishman who describes the Soul of the World; the desert woman Fatima, who teaches him the Language of the World; and an alchemist who says, "Listen to your heart" A message clings like ivy to every encounter; everyone, but everyone, has to put in their two cents' worth, from the crystal merchant to the camel driver ("concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man"). The absence of characterization and overall blandness suggest authorship by a committee of self-improvement pundits—a far cry from Saint- Exupery's The Little Prince: that flagship of the genre was a genuine charmer because it clearly derived from a quirky, individual sensibility.
Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls.Pub Date: July 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-06-250217-4
Page Count: 192
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1993
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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